FIM MotoGP World Championship Mugello, Italy June 3 Qualifying Results: 1. Sete GIBERNAU (Duc GP6), 1:48.969, Bridgestone 2. Loris CAPIROSSI (Duc GP6), 1:49.058, Bridgestone 3. Valentino ROSSI (Yam YZR-M1), 1:49.167, Michelin 4. Nicky HAYDEN (Hon RC211V), 1:49.212, Michelin 5. Shinya NAKANO (Kaw ZX-RR), 1:49.328, Bridgestone 6. Marco MELANDRI (Hon RC211V), 1:49.343, Michelin 7. John HOPKINS (Suz GSV-R), 1:49.478, Bridgestone 8. Dani PEDROSA (Hon RC211V), 1:49.516, Michelin 9. Casey STONER (Hon RC211V), 1:49.915, Michelin 10. Makoto TAMADA (Hon RC211V), 1:50.084, Michelin 11. Kenny Lee ROBERTS (Hon KR211V), 1:50.181, Michelin 12. Toni ELIAS (Hon RC211V), 1:50.196, Michelin 13. Carlos CHECA (Yam YZR-M1), 1:50.347, Dunlop 14. Colin EDWARDS (Yam YZR-M1), 1:50.405, Michelin 15. Chris VERMEULEN (Suz GSV-R), 1:50.430, Bridgestone 16. Randy DE PUNIET (Kaw ZX-RR), 1:50.597, Bridgestone 17. James ELLISON (Yam YZR-M1), 1:51.866, Dunlop 18. Alex HOFMANN (Duc GP5), 1:52.100, Dunlop 19. Jose Luis CARDOSO (Duc GP5), 1:52.780, Dunlop More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: NAKANO QUALIFIES FIFTH FOR ITALIAN GRAND PRIX Shinya Nakano will start from the second row of the grid in tomorrow’s 23-lap Italian Grand Prix, after qualifying his Ninja ZX-RR in fifth place during this afternoon’s timed session at Mugello. The 28-year-old Kawasaki rider used a new innovation from Bridgestone on his Ninja ZX-RR during today’s practice and qualifying, in the form of a 16-inch rear tyre in place of the standard 16.5-inch slick used by every other rider in the MotoGP field. The smaller tyre retains the rolling radius of the standard 16.5-inch slick, but taller sidewalls offer better shock absorption properties, while a more rounded profile enhances the Kawasaki’s nimble handling through the many high-speed turns at Mugello. Nakano also ran a standard rear tyre during both practice and qualifying, and will make a decision on which tyre to race after consultation with his crew and the Bridgestone tyre technicians this evening. Randy de Puniet faces an uphill battle in tomorrow’s 23-lap Italian Grand Prix, after two difficult runs on qualifying tyres during this afternoon’s timed session left him down in 16th position, and facing a start from the sixth row of the grid. Despite his qualifying position, de Puniet remains confident that he can put in a strong performance for Kawasaki in tomorrow’s race, after finding a good race set-up on his Ninja ZX-RR during today’s practice and qualifying sessions. De Puniet also tested the 16-inch rear from Bridgestone today, but has opted for a standard 16.5-inch tyre for tomorrow’s race. The Kawasaki rider will evaluate the new tyre further during a planned test at Mugello on the Monday after the race. Shinya Nakano: 5th – 1’49.328 “On my last flying lap I could see Cardoso some way in front of me, so I used him as a target. I thought to myself that, if I didn’t overtake him before the end of the lap, my time wouldn’t be a good one, so I concentrated on chasing him down. I caught him just before the end, and as a result I qualified fifth. So, thanks for that Jose Luis! Compared to the three free practice sessions this afternoon’s qualifying was much better. During free practice I was struggling to keep my times consistent, but then this afternoon everything came together and I was able to put together a string of laps in the 1’51 bracket on race tyres, which puts us in a strong position for tomorrow’s race. Today we ran with a sixteen-inch rear tyre for the first time. Nobody has used this type of tyre before, so it was something of an unknown quantity, but it definitely offers some advantages compared to the standard size tyre. On corner entry the smaller tyre seems to absorb the bumps better, producing less chatter than the standard slick, and it also makes changing direction a little easier. After the jump start at Le Mans I’ve been practicing my starts here, using the rear brake to stop the bike creeping forward, so I’m confident there won’t be any repeat performance tomorrow!” Randy de Puniet: 16th – 1’50.597 “For sure, my qualifying position is not the best, but I can take some consolation in the fact that, on race tyres, we have a good set-up. I ran two qualifying tyres in the last fifteen minutes of the session, but I just didn’t seem to be able to use them to their full potential. I don’t know why, but both tyres were the same; it was strange. But, most important is that the bike is good for the race tomorrow. Starting from the sixth row of the grid for sure makes my job harder in the race tomorrow, but if I can get a good start then, hopefully, I’ll be able to close the gap on the leading riders and finish with a good result.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Hopkins heads third row at Mugello John Hopkins powered his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R to the head of the third row during today’s qualifying for the Gran Premio d’Italia at Mugello this afternoon. Hopkins (1’49.478) was on a pole-position pace during his last-lap, but eventually the Anglo-American racer was forced to settle for seventh place on the grid. Hopkins used today’s morning free session to search for the best set-up and Bridgestone tyre for tomorrow’s race, and was pleased with the progress he made throughout the day. Chris Vermeulen continued to improve on his lap times today, and at the end of the qualifying session he was only 1.4 seconds from pole setter Sete Gibernau on the Bridgestone-shod Ducati. Rookie Vermeulen (P15, 1’50.430) is also sure that he has found the best tyre for tomorrow’s 23 lap race and is looking forward to improve further during the heat of competition. He was able to complete his first full dry session during this afternoon’s qualifying, as rain yet again intervened in the morning. Sunday’s race is round six in the MotoGP World Championship and Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will be lining up to start at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT), as both riders go in search of glory. John Hopkins: “This afternoon’s session went pretty well. We’ve got a good race set-up going now, but we’d like to be about a half to three-quarters of a second quicker on race pace. Right now we are doing all we can with the Rizla Suzuki. The Bridgestone race tyres are working really well, the consistency of the grip seems to be good but we’ll really have to wait and see what the weather does tomorrow. As far as qualifying goes, we went out and tried our hardest. It’s unfortunate that we’re not on the first or second rows, but the crew worked really hard and the Bridgestone tyres worked great again as you can see by their pole position. We will just go out and get the best start we can tomorrow and fight for a top position.” Chris Vermeulen: “We made good progress today even though we didn’t get a full dry session this morning which was a bit of a pain. I still need to learn the track, but we made good steps. In yesterday’s first session I was four seconds off the leaders, being 1.4 seconds off at the end of qualifying shows how far I have come. The unfortunate thing is starting in 15th place, but that’s what you get when you are coming to tracks for the first time. The goal tomorrow is to get a good start and move up into the next group and have a good race with some of the guys.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “Our qualifying positions are not quite what we have come to expect over the last three races, but the performance of the riders and the tyres has been no less excellent today. John was on pole pace on his final lap and another couple of tenths would have put him on the front row. Chris is disappointed with his position but he is only 1.4 seconds from pole and with Mugello being one of the most technically demanding circuits and the fact that he only rode around here for the first time on a scooter on Thursday puts everything into context. “More importantly for both riders is that they have improved their consistency today. We’ve still got a little bit of work to do in the morning to verify the rear tyre for the race – although that may depend on the temperature and the weather. But both guys have stepped forward today and Rizla Suzuki MotoGP is looking to be as competitive as it possibly can in the Grand Prix tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: DUCATI MARLBORO MEN RULE HOME GP QUALIFYING Ducati Marlboro Team riders Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi produced a stunning qualifying performance at Mugello this afternoon to take first and second places on the grid for tomorrow’s Italian GP, during which they will run a special livery to celebrate three important anniversaries for Ducati. 2006 is the 80th anniversary of the foundation of the Borgo Panigale-based company, it is also the 60th year since Ducati began motorcycle production and the 50th year since it first used the desmodromic valve system, as used throughout its world-renowned range of street and racing motorcycles. The team’s two riders dominated the entire qualifying session to record their second one-two grid performance of the year, though this time it was Gibernau who bettered Capirossi in the final moments of the outing with the fastest-ever motorcycle lap of the high-speed Mugello circuit, just 0.089 seconds ahead of the Italian. At Jerez in March it was Capirossi who pipped Spaniard Gibernau for pole! SETE GIBERNAU, pole position, 1m 48.969s “This is a very special moment. I know it’s only qualifying but I still count this as my first victory with Ducati. I really needed something like this because it confirms that Ducati and Bridgestone were the best choice for me. Also, they believe in me and are giving me the best shot I’ve ever had in this championship. I’d like to dedicate this pole to everyone at Ducati, both here in the team and back at the factory, because they always give it everything they’ve got. Bridgestone are amazing too, because they’re giving me incredible support. Pole is important but maybe more important than that is the way these guys work with me – they treat me better than I’ve ever been treated before, so a big thanks to them.” LORIS CAPIROSSI, 2nd fastest, 1m 49.058s “Today was interesting. We started this afternoon with a race set-up and I did 12 laps at a good rhythm, including one 49.8 lap. That’s not bad and we’ll be even better if tomorrow is a bit warmer. Then I tried some new qualifying tyres that I’d never tried before. The first of them was the best, so I used another of that tyre for my last run but unfortunately I came across some traffic and made a small mistake in the T1 section. Anyway, we are more than okay. I hope tomorrow will be a big day for us. A podium finish would make me happy, we’ll just have to see which step of the podium. Sete rode really well today. I ‘stole’ pole from him at Jerez, so now he’s got it back! It’s great that Ducati has got pole here. Tomorrow it will be very important to get a good start and use full gas from the beginning, because when the tyres begin to go off, whoever is in front should be able to maintain their advantage.” FILIPPO PREZIOSI, Ducati Corse director “I’m very happy and full of emotion! We gave both our riders the bikes they deserve, and that makes us very proud. We have a good race pace but a big fight with some very strong riders awaits us tomorrow. The race will be a real battle and we will be there…” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Gibernau heads Ducati one-two on Mugello grid Sete Gibernau takes his first pole for Ducati With overcast skies holding out for the MotoGP riders at Mugello, all three of today’s qualifying practices for the Gran Premio d’Italia Alice took place in the dry in front of a boisterous Italian crowd. Sete Gibernau took pole at the Mugello Circuit, and will head a Ducati one-two on the grid for the Gran Premio d’Italia Alice tomorrow afternoon. The Spaniard knocked two tenths off Valentino Rossi’s 2005 pole time, and his 1’48.969 lap puts him alongside team-mate Loris Capirossi for his first pole at his team’s home circuit. Rossi completes the front row, out for his fifth win in as many seasons at the Italian track. The reigning World Champion needs a win in Mugello in his quest to retain the crown, hoping to close the 43 point gap between him and championship leader Nicky Hayden. The American rider himself will line up on front of the second row, ahead of Shinya Nakano and second in the standings Marco Melandri. Continuing his positive run of qualifying form, John Hopkins was just outside the top six, with Dani Pedrosa behind him after claiming pole in the previous two races. Casey Stoner and Makoto Tamada completed the top ten. Nicky Hayden maintains his lead of the BMW M Award, the competition for the fastest overall times in qualifying sessions over the duration of the season. There is nearly a three second cushion between him and Colin Edwards, with Suzuki riders Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen two seconds behind. The Gran Premio d’Italia Alice will start tomorrow with the 125cc race at 11am local time, followed by 250cc at 12.15pm and the eagerly anticipated MotoGP clash of the titans at 2pm CET. Jorge Lorenzo will start at the head of the 250cc grid tomorrow for the fourth time this season, aiming to get back to winning ways at the Gran Premio d’Italia Alice. The Majorcan rider put in a lap of 1’53.787 to put him ahead of Yuki Takahashi and the resurgent Roberto Locatelli, who continues to impress for Team Toth. Alex de Angelis completes the front row. Behind them on row two will be Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso, Marco Simoncelli, Hector Barbera and Jakub Smrz, who yesterday earned his first provisional pole, and was baulked twice on consecutive laps as he looked set to snatch his first full pole position. Lukas Pesek earned the first pole position of his 125cc career in Mugello. The Czech rider broke the previous circuit record by more than half a second, as he put himself ahead of Mattia Pasini, Hector Faubel and Fabrizio Lai. The second row will consist of Championship leader Alvaro Bautista, Pablo Nieto, Gabor Talmacsi and Mika Kallio. Pole position, Sete Gibernau (Ducati), 1’48.969 : “This is a very special moment. I know it’s only qualifying but I still count this as my first victory with Ducati. I really needed something like this because it confirms that Ducati and Bridgestone were the best choice for me. Also, they believe in me and are giving me the best shot I’ve ever had in this championship. I’d like to dedicate this pole to everyone at Ducati, both here in the team and back at the factory, because they always give it everything they’ve got. Bridgestone are amazing too, because they’re giving me incredible support. Pole is important but maybe more important than that is the way these guys work with me – they treat me better than I’ve ever been treated before, so a big thanks to them.” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing/Fortuna Honda: FORTUNA HONDA rider Marco Melandri will start Sunday’s Grand Prix of Italy on the second row. The Italian worked hard on Saturday and was rewarded in the dying stages of an intense second qualifying session. Melandri – who has made the podium at Mugello on four occasions, although always in the lower classes – performed consistently throughout the day. He concentrated on improving his feeling with the rear end of the bike and, after trying various different settings, got the result he was looking for. Team-mate Toni Elias was forced to settle for 12th position. The Spanish rider will be hoping to make a good start in tomorrow’s race and then try to keep up with the strong pace the Italian riders are sure to set. MARCO MELANDRI (1’49.343, 4th): “I am satisfied with the result. My performance today has allowed me to start on the second row which was what I was aiming for. I am feeling good on the bike and my ‘feeling’ with the rear end has improved a lot today. I am pretty clear about which tyres I will be using, I have tested two tyres that work really well and tomorrow we will take the final decision also according to the opinion of my Michelin technician. It’s quite hard to make use of qualifying tyres at this circuit. I am happy to have performed well in front of my home fans and will give everything to get on the podium tomorrow.” TONI ELIAS (1’50.196, 12th): “I am not satisfied because even though we improved from yesterday we are still not where we should be. It will be important to get a good result and get in amongst the top riders. It will not be an easy race as there are many quick riders, I just hope we get.” More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: ROSSI RETURNS TO THE FRONT ROW AT MUGELLO Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi will start from the front row of the grid for the first time this season in tomorrow’s Grand Prix of Italy after the home hero set the third quickest time in today’s single qualifying practice. The session took place under a blanket of thick grey cloud, with cool ambient temperatures of 16ºC and just 18ºC on track, but the threat of rain held off and the teams and riders were afforded crucial dry track time as they adjusted their machine set-up ahead of tomorrow’s 23-lap race. Rossi’s best lap of 1’49.167 came on his penultimate effort and was inside his previous pole record here by almost a tenth of a second. However, it wasn’t quite enough to dislodge Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi (both Ducati) from the top two grid spots as the Spaniard took his first pole position of the season for the Italian factory. After falling behind with set-up work due to adverse weather conditions yesterday, Rossi’s Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards was unable to make up for lost time today and he could only manage the 14th fastest time, meaning he will start from the middle of the fifth row tomorrow. This afternoon Rossi will present a brand new R6 in unique Yamaha MotoGP colours to Marco Ponti, from Gallarate in the Varese region of Italy, who took part in a contest as part of the ‘Yamaha Open Weekend.’ VALENTINO ROSSI (3rd 1’49.167; 26 laps) “It is a good feeling to be back on the front row I don’t think I’ve been there since Phillip Island last year so it is a long time and I’m glad it came here at Mugello. For sure this is one of my favourite tracks and with all my fans, family and friends here I really want to get a good result. The front row is important for this because in the past few races I have had to fight really hard at the start of the race to pass riders so hopefully I can get a better start tomorrow. We’re not on pole but Michelin and Yamaha have worked really hard to improve our performance on a qualifying tyre and this is a big step forward. Anyway my race pace is quite good so I hope to give my fans a lot of reasons for a party tomorrow night. My new helmet design is by a famous Italian cartoonist called Milo Manara. He has drawn a kind of mythical story of my life, with some of my heroes like Steve McQueen, Enzo Ferrari and Jim Morrison, with other characters like my dog Guido, Osvaldo the chicken and lots of beautiful women! I really like it and Milo is somebody I have admired for a long time.” COLIN EDWARDS (14th 1’50.405; 26 laps) “I’m not too happy at all. This track seems to have a curse over me because I always seem to be unlucky here. Yesterday the weather played against us when we were trying to find some settings for the new chassis so we had to stick to the old one today and for whatever reason it hasn’t worked. We haven’t managed to work out the root of the problem yet but it seems everything that was good at China and Le Mans has evaporated here. It’s not for a lack of trying I’m pushing really hard but maybe I’m pushing in the wrong place, I don’t know! We’ve had no time this weekend to test and use the new chassis so maybe we’re paying the price for that. All we can do is squeeze the most out of what we have in the warm-up and see how much progress I can make in terms of positions in the race.” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “I’m very happy for Valentino, it’s nice for him to be back on the front row. We’ve made some improvements to the performance of the bike on qualifying tyres, which is an area we have struggled with so far this season, so we are very satisfied with that. It looks as though Valentino also has confidence with the race setting and he set a good rhythm on race tyres so we hope he can put on a great show tomorrow. Unfortunately Colin was unable to get anything extra out of the qualifying tyre so he is starting from a difficult position. He isn’t comfortable with the setting of the bike so our goal is to improve this situation during the warm-up and give him a chance of producing the kind of ride he showed in the last race at Le Mans, when he fought back from a lowly position to score some good points.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: HAYDEN HAS TO SETTLE FOR SECOND ROW START World Championship points leader Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) today gave best to pole-setter Sete Gibernau, second fastest qualifier Loris Capirossi (both Ducati) and the third front row qualifier Valentino Rossi (Yamaha). Hayden heads the second row as fourth fastest man. In dull, overcast conditions, hardly typical of the usual Italian Grand Prix weather, riders got down to business in this final hour of qualifying for this the sixth round of a 17 race series. Capirossi was always likely to be quick at Ducati’s ‘home’ track and he proved it by heading the timesheet with an early 1m 50.133s lap from Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) and his Ducati team-mate Gibernau. But within ten minutes of the start of the session Hayden was up to a provisional second. But Rossi, who has been quick in all the sessions so far, then upped the pace at the halfway mark when he put in a 1m 49.715s lap to steal pole from his countryman Capirossi and knock Nicky back into third. Melandri was heading the second row at this stage while rookie Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) in seventh was in charge of row three with Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) running eighth fastest. As riders engaged in the business of turning race pace laps on potential race rubber to establish a workable grip to wear ratio for tomorrow’s gruelling 23-laps of Mugello’s undulating 5.245km, Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) was the first rider to hit the track with a sticky rear qualifying tyre and go third fastest with ten minutes to go. The main Honda contenders, Hayden, Melandri, Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) had been lying fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh at the midway point and now was the time for them to put their markers down for final grid positions with short-life/maximum grip rubber. Melandri hoisted himself to second fastest with three minutes to go with Hayden still occupying fourth slot. But then Capirossi dislodged Marco to establish the Ducatis in first and second. Nicky then leapfrogged Marco for third before Rossi relegated them both to the second row with a 1m 49.167s lap to put himself on the front row. Poleman Gibernau is the only rider to dip into the 1m 48s category, bu with just over half a second separating the first eight riders this promises to be a pulsating, high tempo contest tomorrow. Nicky, fourth fastest, said, “We definitely closed the gap to the leaders a bit more today. We made a few pretty big changes overnight that seemed to help so thanks to the guys for working really hard. We’ve got to take another big step with the bike tomorrow if we want to run with these Italians. We definitely improved in our weak spots, but our top speed isn’t very good today so we need to look and see if there’s anything we can do with the transmission.” Marco, in sixth, said, “My performance today has allowed me to start on the second row which was what I was aiming for. I am feeling good on the bike and the ‘feeling’ at the rear-end of the bike has improved a lot today. I am pretty clear about which tyres I will be using, I’ve tested two that work really well and tomorrow we will take the final decision.” Eighth fastest Dani said, “Today we improved a lot which I’m pleased about because yesterday I was quite a long way from the front, but tomorrow is the important day. Qualifying in eighth is not perfect for me but the lap-times are pretty close so it’s OK. This position means I’ll have to make a good start tomorrow so that the leaders don’t get away that’s going to be crucial. I am getting a little more comfortable here, but this is not my favourite track and it’s very physical on this bike.” Casey, ninth quickest on row three, said, “I’m feeling very good about our set-up and my race pace is faster than some of the guys who just seem to pull out one fast lap in qualifying. I’ve got really good speed coming onto the straight and there are lots of braking points and passing opportunities here so I should be Ok in the race.” “I think that my race pace is sufficient to stay with the leading group,” said tenth fastest Tamada. “I tried to do my best with the qualifying tyres but this time the rear I used at the end didn’t let me complete the entire lap. We’ve chosen the race tyres, I feel good and I’m confident I can get an interesting result tomorrow.” Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) was upbeat about his 11th place qualifying performance. He said, “The work we’ve done here has given me a bike that’ll do what I want it to do and that’s the best it’s been yet. My starting position’s not that good but if I get off the line well and don’t get mixed up with anyone I know I’ll have a solid race.” Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) had to settle for a fifth row start in 13th. He said, “I am not satisfied because even though we improved from yesterday we are still not where we should be. It will be important to get a good result and get in amongst the top riders. It will not be an easy race as there are many quick riders, I just hope we get.” In the 250cc class it was Aprilia rider Jorge Lorenzo who secured pole position with a lap of 1m 53.787s from Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) who will line up second for tommorow’s race. Veteran Roberto Locatelli qualified third fastest and Alex de Angelis (both Aprilia) completes the front row. Current series points leader Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) heads the second row of the grid as fifth fastest qualifier with a 1m 54.380s time while rookie Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) has to be happy with a top ten qualifying result as ninth fastest man. Takahashi, winner of the French Grand Prix two weeks ago, is growing in stature as the season unfolds, but it’s less of a surprise that Lorenzo, who fell in France and has ground to make up on Dovizioso, is top dog at Aprilia’s stamping ground. Takahashi said, “I’m a bit surprised about my fast lap time, even though I was behind Barbera when I did it. I didn’t expect such a good result after the past two difficult practice days. I think that many riders will be very close in tomorrow’s race and it will be important to make a good start. I’ve always made good starts, apart from Shanghai, so I feel optimistic about it.” “Well I hoped to be on the front row today,” said Dovi. “But this is the only negative thing I can say. I’ve been consistent at a good pace in both the free and qualifying sessions. So, I feel confident for tomorrow’s race and now we just have to choose the right tyre. We’ll check during the warm-up and make a decision based on the asphalt temperature.” Aoyama said, “I’m happy. Everything is working out as planned so far. Every time I went onto the track I’ve been faster, and bit-by-bit I’ve learned the track. The grid position is good and I think if I can make a good start and stick to the leading group I’ll be able to repeat the fight for the front positions like in Le Mans, although this circuit is much more difficult.” Lukas Pesek (Derbi) qualified on pole in the 125cc class. It was the Czech rider’s first career pole and his lap time of 1m 58.202s was comfortably the fastest of the half-hour final session until second fastest qualifier Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) clocked a 1m 58.335 to secure his sixth front row start of the season. Hector Faubel (Aprilia) qualified third and Fabrizio Lai (Seedorf Racing Honda RS125R) was fourth fastest for his first front row start of the season. Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R) was at the sharp end of the grid for much of this session, lying second fastest with five minutes remaining. But the Hungarian charger will have to content himself with a second row start from seventh. Reigning World Champion Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) qualified 14th, but the Swiss was outpaced by both his team-mate Sandro Cortese (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) tenth fastest and Aleix Espargaro (Würth Honda RS125R) 13th fastest. Lai said, “I’m satisfied and confident for tomorrow race: we are competitive wet and dry and this is very important. The bike has some little problem we are trying to solve and the Aprilias today were very fast. But I think the race will have a lower pace and then I’ll be among the leaders.” Talmacsi said, “We made a step forward in the general set-up of the bike and I’m satisfied with that. Actually, I could have improved more on the last lap and conquered the front row, but I found traffic that slowed me down. However, the important thing is that we have now a good base. During tomorrow’s warm-up we’ll try some adjustments to the front-end and try some different tyres, but we are nearly OK.” Luthi said, “We didn’t get enough dry time to get all the work done we needed to but what we did has been good. We have some work to do on the suspension before the race because the track is very bumpy, but we have time in the warm-up. The engine is very fast so we have enough power for the long front straight.” HONDA TEAM RIDER QUOTES MotoGP: Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 4th: “We definitely closed the gap to the leaders a bit more today. We made a few pretty big changes overnight that seemed to help so thanks to the guys for working really hard. This morning I was able to drop the pace and get closer to the front, but we’ve got to take another big step with the bike tomorrow if we want to run with these Italians. We definitely improved in our weak spots, but our top speed isn’t very good today so we need to look and see if there’s anything we can do with the transmission. I’m excited for tomorrow and they say the sun’s going to shine. It’s going to be a battle and I hope to be right in the middle of the dog-fight having some fun.” Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 6th:: “I am satisfied with the result. My performance today has allowed me to start on the second row which was what I was aiming for. I am feeling good on the bike and my ‘feeling’ with the rear end has improved a lot today. I am pretty clear about which tyres I will be using, I have tested two tyres that work really well and tomorrow we will take the final decision also according to the opinion of my Michelin technician. It’s quite hard to make use of qualifying tyres at this circuit. I am happy to have performed well in front of my home fans and will give everything to get on the podium tomorrow.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 8th: “Today we improved a lot which I’m pleased about because yesterday I was quite a long way from the front, but of course tomorrow is the important day. Qualifying in eighth is not perfect for me but the lap-times are pretty close so it’s ok. This position means I will have to make a good start tomorrow so that the leaders don’t get away that’s going to be crucial. I am getting a little more comfortable here, but this is not my favourite track and it’s very physical on this bike, I will try to adapt some more. I think the set-up for the race is quite good, but we will have to see how the tyre performance goes tomorrow. We’ll find out what we can in the warm up, but only the race will tell.” Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 12th: “I am not satisfied because even though we improved from yesterday we are still not where we should be. It will be important to get a good result and get in amongst the top riders. It will not be an easy race as there are many quick riders, I just hope we get.” Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: 9th: “Another average qualifying run although I’m feeling very good about our set-up, plus my race pace is faster than some of the guys who seem to be able to pull out just one fast lap in qualifying. I’ve got really good speed coming onto the straight and there are a lot of braking points and passing opportunities here, so I should be OK in the race. My race set-up didn’t seem to work perfectly for the soft qualifying tyre which was destroyed about halfway through my final lap, plus I lost some concentration when I was held up behind Randy de Puniet.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 10th: “Today afternoon we had favourable weather conditions to push us in searching the best performance. With the latest modifications executed to the rear suspension after this morning free practice session my feeling was immediately better and I think that my race pace is sufficient to stay with the leading group. I tried to do my best with the qualifying tyres but this time the rear one I used at the end revealed to be too smooth and it did not permit me to cover the entire lap. We have defined the race tyres, I feel good and I’m confident I can get an interesting result tomorrow.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: 11th: “With the work we have done here it has given me a bike that will do what I want it to. Right now I’m happy because I can feel it’s the best yet. My starting position is not good but if I can get a good start and get to the first turn in a good position I know we will have a solid race tomorrow wet or dry conditions.” 250cc: Yuki Takahashi, Humangest Honda: 2nd: “I’m a bit surprised about my fast lap time, even though I was behind Barbera when I did it. I didn’t expect such a good result after the past two difficult practice days. I think that many riders will be very close in tomorrow’s race and it will be important to make a good start. I’ve always made good starts a part from Shanghai, so I feel optimistic about it. Then, it is important to stay with the group and try to fight for the victory in the final stages”. Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda: 5th.: “Well, I hoped to conquer the front row today, but this is the only negative thing I can say. In fact I’ve been constant and with a good pace in both the free and qualifying sessions. So, I feel confident for tomorrow’s race and now we just have to choose the tyre to use: we are going to check during the warm up and decide considering mainly the asphalt’s temperature”. Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 9th. “I’m happy. Everything is working out as planned so far. Every time I went onto the track I’ve been faster, and bit by bit I have learned the track. The most important is exactly that: to see a constant improvement, because we’re starting from cero. The grid position is good; I think that if I can make a good start and stick to the leading group, I’ll be able to repeat the fight for the front positions like in Le Mans, although this circuit is much more difficult.” Martin Cardenas, Wurth Honda BQR: 17th. “Very good qualifying, I improved a lot from yesterday and the bike also. In the final qualifying we managed to get a good bike set up. This track is difficult with the chicanes quite complicated for me. It felt good as I can now get the bike to hold its line in the corners. My engine has good power so we just have to choose the tyres” Arturo Tizon, Wurth Honda BQR: 19th. “I had a crash this morning, I just went into the corner too fast and high-sided but ‘m OK just a little angry with myself. In the qualifying session I quickly found my confidence, even at the corner I crashed at. The bike is very good but I’m not happy with my grid position. I was trying for a 1m 55s lap but I didn’t push hard enough but the time was OK. I have a little bit to do on suspension in the morning and decide which tyres to run.” Sebastian Porto, Repsol Honda: 20th”It’s the same as always, the truth is that there isn’t much more to say. We still have problems, I don’t manage to be fast with this bike, it doesn’t adapt, there’s no way. We have changed things and the bike hinders me from being fast. Above all I’m angry, because I’m the same as always and the bike is hindering me. If you analyse the times, I won here two years ago, and I’m three seconds behind the circuit record which is still mine, so if you analyse all that you get even more angry. But, well, we have to look forward as I’ve always done and try to give our very best tomorrow with what we have, to see if we can improve a bit more; and tomorrow we’ll fight as always and do it the best we can.” Fabrizio Perren, Stop and Go Racing: 24th: “This is my first ever 250cc race and my first race at Mugello so I am happy with qualifying. I felt comfortable on the bike from the start and quickly found what I needed to adjust to make the bike better. We worked on the overall balance of the bike first, because I don’t like too much weight on the front wheel. I have also made small changes to the gearbox ratios, which helped me a lot. Tonight we have to change sixth gear for a longer ratio to stop the over-revving near the end of the long straight. I know which front tyre I will use but will wait and see what the weather is like tomorrow before deciding on the rear tyre.” 125cc: Fabrizio Lai, Seedorf Racing World: 4th. “I’m satisfied and confident for tomorrow race: we are competitive on wet and on dry and this is very important. The technicians are working very hard to improve our performances and I am very grateful to them. Tomorrow I will give my best. The bike has some little problem we are trying to solve but Aprilias today were very fast. But I think the race will have a lower pace, well then I’ll be among the leaders”. Gabor Talmacsi, Humangest Honda: 7th. “We made a step forward in the general set-up of the bike and I’m satisfied about it. Actually, I could have improved more on the last lap and conquered the front row, but I found traffic that slowed me down. However, the important thing is that we have now a good base of my Honda. During tomorrow’s warm-up we have to adjust the front of the bike and try different tyres for the race, but we are nearly ok!”. Sandro Cortese, Elit Honda: 10th. “In the first ten minutes of qualifying I was running 2m 02s laps and my rhythm was good. I came in to change the rear tyre and went out to try for a fast lap if I could find a fast rider to run with. Mike Kallio caught me and I hooked up with him. On our fastest lap we came across Simon who tried to close the door but when he saw it was Kallio he let us through and we got in a very good lap. I’m happy with qualifying and the bike is very good I have good speed don the straight. The only problem will be trying to save the clutch off the start because we are pulling a very long first gear.” Aleix Espargaro, Wurth Honda BQR: 13th. “Two weeks ago I was very unhappy after my accident (at Le Mans) and yesterday in the wet conditions I was not confident. Today in qualifying my bike was one of the fastest down the straight and helped me get a good grid position. Pablo Nieto helped me on my fast lap today and I thank him for that. The only difficulty I have is choosing the rear tyre for the race. I have used the 120B on the rear but I don’t think it will last race distance. In the warm up we will test some options. Anyway today has helped me again my confidence after what happened at Le Mans.” Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 14th. “We didn’t get enough dry time to get al the work done we needed to but what we did has been good. We have some work to do on the suspension before the race because the track is very bumpy, but we have time in the warm up. The engine is very fast so we have enough power for the long front straight.” Mike Di Meglio, FFM Honda: 18th: During the free morning pratice I had somne problems with the chassis; we changed the settings for the qualifying session and it was better. But an engine problem disturbed me a lot and on this track it’s important to have a good engine because there are two straight lines so it was quite difficult to realise a very good lap time. At the end of the practice the front of the bike chattered and I couldn’t keep the right path but despite this I improved my lap time from last year of three tenth in the last laps. We are trying to solve these problems tomorrow morning during the warm up in order to get the best solution for the race. Lorenzo Baroni, Humangest Honda: 26th. “Actually I thought I could have been faster today, but still we have some problems with the front that slow me down in the entrance of the curves. Also, there was traffic on track and so now I have to start far behind on the starting grid. I hope tomorrow the asphalt will be dry and during the warm up we have to work on the chassis”. Michele Conti, Seedorf Racing World: 29th. “I haven’t found the right feeling with my Honda yet. My technicians are trying to understand how to solve this problem but I am still far away from the confidence I had with the bike last year”. Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 32nd: “I’m not happy at all. Eight in the first qualifying, then sixteenth in the dry, I was really happy and then from out of the blue, something I didn’t expect”¦ thirty-second. I don’t know, or a moment I was wondering whether there was something wrong with the bike because I just felt that I was on the limit and pushed so hard and nothing seemed to work, it didn’t matter whether I was going slow or fast or try to be more aggressive or trying to be smooth it just didn’t see to make any difference. So, thirty-second is my worst qualifying so far but maybe we can pull something out in the race. I don’t know everyone went so much quicker than in previous sessions, but I felt good and with the bike I didn’t feel too bad even though there were a few things wrong but it didn’t feel like being over three seconds of the pole. Let’s se what we can do and put it all together and hopefully it turns out alright.” Hiroaki Kuzuhara, Seedorf Racing World: 33rd:”The World Championship riders are very fast! I had some engine problems during the session. In this conditions is very difficult to get a good time. I hope my technicians could give me a more competitive bike tomorrow”. Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 39th. “This afternoon I was about 2.6s faster than in the morning. That’s a big step. In the warm up tomorrow I hope I can make another step forward. In the race I have to make a good start from my 39th on the grid and hope so I can take part in a battle with a good group. I need to get a grip of myself in the opening laps if I am to catch the group”